Class 2A No. 4 Greensburg C.C. girls take down Franklin Regional
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Tuesday, December 28, 2021 | 2:20 PM
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Cara Dupilka (33) drives toward the basket against Franklin Regional’s Avery Must on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021 at Penn-Trafford High School.
Greensburg Central Catholic head coach Chris Skatell talks to his players between quarters against Franklin Regional on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021 at Penn-Trafford High School.
Franklin Regional’s Brooke Schirmer dribbles down court against Greensburg Central Catholic’s Meghan Zambruno on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021 at Penn-Trafford High School.
Franklin Regional’s Sarah Penrod dribbles against Greensburg Central Catholic’s Laura Kondas (52) on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021 at Penn-Trafford High School.
Franklin Regional’s Sarah Penrod looks for an opening against Greensburg Central Catholic’s defense on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021 at Penn-Trafford High School.
Franklin Regional’s Toryn Fulton plays defense against Greensburg Central Catholic on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021 in the holiday tournament at Penn-Trafford High School.
Franklin Regional’s Avery Musto dribbles as Greensburg Central Catholic’s Emma Riley defends on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021 at Penn-Trafford High School.
Almost apologetically, Mya Morgan gave a reaction like Michael Jordan did during his “flu game” from the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz.
Oops, it went in.
So did that one. Um, sorry?
Morgan, a sophomore shooting guard from Greensburg Central Catholic, put her hands in the air and shrugged her shoulders in giddy disbelief after she banked in back-to-back 3-pointers in the fourth quarter Tuesday afternoon.
The flurry of offense in a game that lacked much of it propelled the Centurions to a 45-35 victory over Franklin Regional in the Penn-Trafford Holiday Tournament.
“If it doesn’t swish, it doesn’t usually go in,” said Morgan, who scored a game-high 17 points including three 3s. “I banked them in and that never happens.”
But they did go in and Class 2A No. 4 GCC (4-1) did beat a 5A team — no matter how it looked — for its third straight win.
“(Franklin Regional) gave us trouble because they threw so many defenses at us,” GCC coach Chris Skatell said. “It took a while for our kids to get the hang of it.”
A game that saw a 5-5 tie after the first quarter and a 13-9 Franklin Regional (3-3) lead at the half was like one long yawn following the Christmas weekend. But play picked up late.
“It was lethargic on both sides,” Franklin Regional coach Bernie Pucka said. “It was like who was going to challenge who to play slower. We wanted to get out in transition and run but it never happened. This was a weird game. It was haunting.”
Oddly, there were no two-point field goals in the fourth quarter. Instead, there were a combined six 3-pointers — all in a row — and a handful of free throws, which allowed GCC to pull ahead after the Panthers took a 34-32 lead.
GCC was up by eight (29-21) when Franklin Regional rallied with 3s from sophomore Angelina Brush and juniors Avery Musto and Sarah Penrod. But Morgan answered with her 3s to put GCC ahead to stay.
“We’re a man team and don’t like to play a lot of zone,” Skatell said. “Franklin Regional is a physical team, and our kids battled. I’m proud of them.”
Senior forward Bailey Kuhns added 13 points for GCC, which went on an 11-1 run in the third to build a 27-19 advantage before the Panthers chipped away some more.
“It was more like our defense led to our offense today,” Morgan said.
Junior Sarah Penrod led Franklin Regional with 15 points and freshman forward Toryn Fulton added seven.
Franklin Regional lost junior guard Brooke Schirmer to a leg injury in the third quarter and she did not return. Pucka hopes she can play Wednesday when the Panthers take on host Penn-Trafford.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C.
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